Jolinda Wade knows what it means to have a story that can be difficult to revisit. In this program, the pastor and author of In Conquering Me: A Memoir of Courage, Faith, and Transformation, looks back on addiction, homelessness, incarceration, trauma, and years of self-doubt—and on the choices that helped her build a different life.

Wade talks about how circumstances can make our options seem narrower than they really are. She says she came to understand that healing, change, faith, and rising were choices she could make even when they were not immediately visible.

“Before we can conquer the world around us, we must first conquer what is happening inside of us,” Wade says.

For her, that process is rooted in three forces: faith, resilience, and community. Faith helped her recognize that she was more than the sum of her mistakes, while resilience helped her keep moving when she felt broken.

Community mattered just as much.

“One of the greatest myths we tell ourselves is that we can do it alone,” Wade says.

She recalls people who fed her, gave her places to stay, offered guidance and friendship, challenged and believed in her.

Wade also reflects on her son, NBA Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade, and on athletics as a setting for personal development. Her larger message is about taking responsibility for the next step, learning from the past without remaining trapped in it, and continuing to rebuild with purpose.

The presentation is part of UC San Diego’s Division of Extended Studies and the Earl W. Edwards Lectureship on Athletics and Society, a public dialogue initiative featuring voices from athletics, education, business, and public life.

Watch: Rising Beyond Circumstance: Faith, Resilience, and the Power of Community